Krissy Matthews
About Krissy
It all started in 1995, when a three-year-old Krissy Matthews was invited on stage by his father to play along to Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman. Nobody in that room could have predicted what would follow.
Now 33, Krissy has spent more than two decades becoming one of the most electrifying and respected guitarists of his generation. At 12 he performed with John Mayall, the Godfather of British Blues, sharing an amp with Peter Green. At 15, BB King personally took him under his wing, and shortly afterwards Krissy became the last musician to share a stage with the late, great Jeff Healey in the UK. Few guitarists anywhere in the world can point to a backstory quite like it.
Since 2015 he has been a permanent featured member of the iconic Hamburg Blues Band, night after night backing legends including Chris Farlowe, Arthur Brown and Maggie Bell, stepping into shoes previously filled by Clem Clempson and Miller Anderson. Over thousands of concerts across Europe, the UK, China and Russia he has shared stages with Toto, Gregg Allman, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart and many more, winning over audiences and fellow musicians alike with his raw power and natural authority on stage.
Signed to Ruf Records, his acclaimed 2024 double album "Krissy Matthews And Friends" brought together an astonishing 80 musicians across 24 songs. His latest record, "Rock And Roll Soldier" (April 2026), recorded with his Norwegian trio The Vikings, crackles with the energy of sessions tracked mostly live in a small room, exactly the way great Blues Rock should be made.
As someone who learned first-hand what it means to be inspired by the greats, Krissy has always been passionate about shining a light on exceptional new talent. That generosity of spirit gave birth to GUITARMANIA, his touring guitar celebration that brings together six outstanding Blues and Rock guitarists from across the globe for a three-hour programme of solo sets and a closing All-Star jam that never fails to bring the house down.
KRISSY MATTHEWS prensents: GUITARMANIA 2026
feat. RUSSELL MARSDEN (UK - BAND OF SKULLS), PABLO VAN DE POEL (NL - DEWOLFF), OSKAR LOGI (ISL - THE VINTAGE CARAVAN), JAX HOLLOW (USA), CONNOR SELBY (UK), PHILIPP "PHIPU" GERBER (CH) (presented by Eclipsed, Musix, Musikreviews.de)
KRISSY MATTHEWS, a Blues/Rock guitarist of British-Norwegian heritage, is only 33 years old yet already looks back on more than 20 years of stage experience. At the tender age of 12, he performed alongside the "Godfather of British Blues," John Mayall. At 15, Blues legend BB King took him under his wing, and a year later he became the last guest musician to share the stage with the great, sadly late Jeff Healey. He has since established himself as one of the most respected guitarists in the scene.
Having experienced first-hand how valuable and inspiring it is to learn from the greats, he is always eager to bring new talent to the attention of Blues audiences.
His current, widely acclaimed album "Krissy Matthews And Friends" (2024, RUF Records) is a prime example of this. Across 24 songs, he brings together no fewer than 80 musical friends and fellow travellers, including luminaries such as Chris Farlowe, Arthur Brown, Inga Rumpf, Stoppok, Curt Cress, Dennis Chambers, Big Daddy Wilson, Clem Clempson, Siggi Schwarz and the Hamburg Blues Band, of which KRISSY MATTHEWS is a permanent member. Younger colleagues also feature, among them Kai Strauss, Miller Andersen, Danny Bryant, Layla Zoe, Vanja Sky, Dani Wilde and many more. During the European tour for the album release, several of these guest musicians performed live, which so enthused both the audience and KRISSY MATTHEWS himself that it inspired him to take GUITARMANIA on the road for the first time in 2025, joined by five or six of his favourite guitarists. The line-up for the next edition in 2026 is already confirmed:
The tour KRISSY MATTHEWS' GUITARMANIA 2026 feat. RUSSELL MARSDEN (UK / BAND OF SKULLS), PABLO VAN DE POEL (NL / DEWOLFF), OSKAR LOGI (ISL / THE VINTAGE CARAVAN), JAX HOLLOW (USA), CONNOR SELBY (UK) and PHILIPP "PHIPU" GERBER (CH) runs from 6 to 18 May 2026 and comprises 13 shows.
Audiences can look forward to a three-hour programme in which each of the six guitarists first presents their own solo material before coming together at the end for a collective All-Star jam session.
Like no other tour in 2026, KRISSY MATTHEWS' GUITARMANIA offers such a breadth of Blues and Rock styles, presented by some of the most internationally celebrated guitarists of the new generation. Blues, Rock and guitar fans will be thoroughly in their element and should on no account miss these fantastic shows!
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